Valuing investments in sustainable land management in the Upper Tana River basin, Kenya

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 195; no. Pt 1; pp. 78 - 91
• Main Authors: Vogl, Adrian L., Bryant, Benjamin P., Hunink, Johannes E., Wolny, Stacie, Apse, Colin, Droogers, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.06.2017
• Subjects: Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Integrated modelling; Investments; Kenya; RIOS; Rivers; Sustainable land management; SWAT; Valuation; Water fund; SWAT; Water fund; Integrated modelling; Valuation; Sustainable land management; RIOS
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.10.013

We analyze the impacts of investments in sustainable land use practices on ecosystem services in the Upper Tana basin, Kenya. This work supports implementation of the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund, a public-private partnership to safeguard ecosystem service provision and food security. We apply an integrated modelling framework, building on local knowledge and previous field- and model-based studies, to link biophysical landscape changes at high temporal and spatial resolution to economic benefits for key actors in the basin. The primary contribution of this study is that it a) presents a comprehensive analysis for targeting interventions that takes into account stakeholder preferences, local environmental and socio-economic conditions, b) relies on detailed, process-based, biophysical models to demonstrate the biophysical return on those investments for a practical, decision-driven case, and c) in close collaboration with downstream water users, links those biophysical outputs to monetary metrics, including: reduced water treatment costs, increased hydropower production, and crop yield benefits for agricultural producers in the conservation area. This study highlights the benefits and trade-offs that come with conducting participatory research as part of a stakeholder engagement process: while results are more likely to be decision-relevant within the local context, navigating stakeholder expectations and data limitations present ongoing challenges. •We present a modeling framework to analyze economic returns of watershed investment.•Framework incorporates stakeholder preferences to provide policy-relevant outputs.•Its application demonstrates multiple benefits of sustainable land use practices.•This work supports outreach and implementation of the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund.•Stakeholder engagement in the application was crucial to create buy-in to results.